Meetings Were Held Between the Observer and Observee. Both Then Completed a Questionnaire About the Peer Observation Process
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 368 178 FL 021 892 AUTHOR Einwaechter, Nelson Frederick, Jr. TITLE Peer Observation: A Pilot Study. PUB DATE Oct 92 NOTE 43p.; Master's Thesis, School for International Training. PUB TYPE Dissertations/Theses Masters Theses (042) EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *College Faculty; Foreign Countries; *Language Teachers; *Peer Evaluation; *Peer Relationship; Program Descriptions; *Program Effectiveness; Questionnaires; Teacher Effectiveness; Teaching Styles; Two Year Colleges IDENTIFIERS *Hiroshima College of Foreign Languages (Japan) ABSTRACT This thesis describes a peer observation program implemented among American and Japanese teachers in the English Department of Hiroshima College of Foreign Languages, a two-year vocational college in Hiroshima, Japan. Each participant functioned as both an observer and observee, while pre- and post-observation meetings were held between the observer and observee. Both then completed a questionnaire about the peer observation process. The project met the anticipated goals of making teachers aware of the need and usefulness of peer observation, that positive things were happening in the classroom, and that they could rely on other teachers for support, encouragement, and feedback. The pilot study demonstrated that peer observations were worth implementing because: (1) teachers gained valuable insights into aspects of their teaching; (2) observers learned from their colleagues' teaching;(3) teachers worked together instead of in isolation;(4) teacheys became more involved in preparing for class;(5) students were more attentive in class; and (6) the results from peer observations helped teachers decide how to improve their teaching effectiveness. (MDM) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** PEER OBSERVATION: A PILOT STUDY Nelson Frederick Einwaechter, Jr. 13.A. Washington College 1980 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts in Teaching degree at the School for International Training, Brattleboro, Vermont. October 1992 U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION denattonal Research end Improvement "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCETHIS e ni MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED I DUCA TIONAL RE SOURCES INFORMATION BY CENTER (ERICI nts do( onlent neS been ,eprOdUCefiAS kYwce.vedfront the PerSOn 0, Orcten,tetton en)rnattnct .1 ' Mtnpr changes nave been made to $rnprove '"PIoduclon cwaidy . ntS ot view 01 optntons Slated $n this dotu TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES rnent On not necesserdy represent Official 01 RI 005,1.00 01 p01,, y INFORMATION CENTER(ERIC) 2 REST C17Jr! 117 0 Copyright by NELSON FREDERICK EINWAECHTER, JR October 1992 All Rights Reserved 3 ABSTRACT Peer observation among teachers has been increasingin popularity over the past few years.It can help improve teacher effectiveness as well as promote cooperation among the participants.This paper describes such a program conducted in the EnglishDepartment of a vocational college in Japan. After a brief background on Japanese education andthe school where this pilot study was carried out, an initial supervision stageis described. The different steps leading up to the observation,the observation itself, and the procedures are contrasted with a similar projectconducted at another school. Finally, this paper ends with gu'delines and advicefor the reader who is considering organizing such a project. Teacher Behavior Teacher Education Teacher Effectiveness Teacher Improvement Teacher Supervision Teach in g Experience Teaching Skills Teaching Styles TABLE OF CONT UST OF TABLES iii LIST OF FIGURES iii INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 1 3 BACKGROUND 3 The Educational Context 3 Supervision 7 CHAFFER 2 10 DESIGN AND RATIONALE OF THE PILOT STUDY 1 0 Objectives 1 0 Background 1 1 Design 13 CHAPTER 3 2 8 RESULTS OF THE PILOT STUDY 2 8 WORKS CITED 37 11 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Seating Chart 16 2. Classroom Management Observation Schedule 17 3. Teacher's Responses to Students' Questions 18 4. Learning Tasks Observation Schedule 19 5. Individual Praise Observation Schedule .20 6. Peer Observation Questionnaire (Teacher) 21 7. Peer Observation Questionnaire (Observer) 22 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1.Instructions to Participants of Pilot Study 25 2. Do's and Don'ts of Observation 26 INTRODUCTION After completing the course work at the School for International Training (SIT) for the Summer Master of Teaching (SMAT) program, I resumed teaching at the Hiroshima College of Foreign Languages (HCFL) in Japan where I'd been teaching for two years already.I wanted to help the school, its staff, and students to improve, especially in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) courses. At first, I had considered helping revise the curriculum. Although this was certainly an area that needed attention at HCFL, I discoveredthat there were more immediate needs. The inexperienced teachers on the stafflacked training and support. They wanted help, but they had nowhere to turn. There was also very little communication between the teachers. This wasevidenced by the lack of continuity in the courses. Teachers often remarked that it was difficult to plan their syllabi without knowing what was going on in the other classes. The students couldn't see any relationship between the different courses they were taking, because the teachers were working independently. In order to best address these needs, I reflected on what had helped me most during my studies at SIT. Although many aspects of that program helped me, the one that stood out was the Interim Year Project (IYP) when a supervisor spent one week observing me in the classroom. The support I receivel at that time prompted me to make many positive changes in my teaching and gave me confidence in my ability to solve my own problems. 7 Thus, I decided that the first step in helping my colleagues at HCEL was to get their permission to enter their classrooms and observe them. At the Japan Association of Language Teachers (JALT) conference held in Omiya, Japan in November, 1990, I attended a presentation by Jack C. Richards and Charles Lockhart entitled Teacher Development Through Peer Observation. Their project involved the teachers of the English Department at City Polytechnic of Hong Kong by pairing up to observe each other in the classroom. Each teacher chose a specific teaching aspect they wanted their partner to observe. Richards and Lockhart emphasized that the observer's role was not to supervise but merely to collect data which would help their colleague improve their teaching. The detailed description of Richards and Lockhart's project encouraged me to organize a similar undertaking at HCFL This paper will focus on my initial supervising of colleagues and the peer observation pilot study I organized.I will discuss the design and rationale of this study in Chapter 2, and the results in Chapter 3. In Chapter 1, I will provide some relevant background. 2 8 CHAPTIM 1 BACKGROUND In the first part of this chapter, I would like to give information about Japanese culture, the educational system and how I-ICFL fits into this larger context.In the second part, I will describe the initial supervisions I conducted prior to organizing the pilot study for peer observation. The Educational Context The Japanese educational system shares some common traits with its American and European counterparts. Most Americans, for instance, would readily recognize the similarities in the school structure: elementary school (grades 1-6); middle school (grades 7-9); and high school (grades 10-12). Europeans, especially the French, would notice the parallels between the baccalauréat and the Japanese university entrance exams. These exams have been the subject of much controversy and cannot be ignored by high school teachers in Japan, especially those involved in the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). Without getting into details and statistics, one could say that once a student passes the entrance examination of a prestigious university, that student is practically assured of graduating and landing a lucrative job with one of the top Japanese companies or with the government. The pressure is such that some parents go so far as enrolling their child in the "right" 3 9 kindergarten, which will allow this student to get into the "right" elementary school, which continues up to high school. These elite schools don't necessarily offer a better education, but they possess excellent track records in getting their students to eventually pass the university entrance examinations. Many parents also enroll their children in "cram" schools which hold special classes in the evenings and on weekends. If a student doesn't pass an entrance exam, and most attempt several in one year (usually one or two at top universities and at least one at a less demanding private college), there are a number of different options available to them. One is to try again the following year. This means another year of "cram" schools possibly supplemented by a part-time job if the parets have depleted their education budget. Apparently not many choose this route, presumably because they are either exhausted or discouraged, or both. They are unwilling to be older than their classmates, and eventually their coworkers. Furthermore, these ronin, or "master-less samurai," are reluctant to let friends and family know that